Storm window



Nov. 11, 1958 A. L. MATSCHKE 2,859,493

. STORM WINDOW Filed Feb. 19, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Nov. 1 l, 1958 A. L. MATSCHKE v 2,859,493

STORM wmnow Filed Feb. 10, 1955 Sheets-Sheet 2 H Hllll'! II /l 22 W22 WQ' @l nite This invention relates to storm windows and more particularly is concerned with a storm window for metal casement windows. Accordingly to the invention it is proposed to mount the storm window inwardly of the regular metal casement windows and such an arrangement offers important practical advantages.

The surrounding frame members for metal casement windows are made of metal and being of metal are highly conductive thermally. For this reason the metal frame members, though disposed inside the house, tend to assume the temperature characteristics of the outside air. In the hot summer days, the metal members become a source of disagreeable heat radiation and in the cold winter days they tend to chill the inside air. Additionally when a cold metal frame comes in contact with the warm moist inside air, moisture condenses on the frame. Such condensation not only mars the decorating adjacent the frames but often causes deterioration of the metal frames themselves. In many instances, the plaster adjacent the frame is also adversely affected by the mosture deposits.

When a metal member is placed at the bottom of a window opening to serve as a sill, there usually are many openings through which the outside air may enter into a room. In addition the joint between the surrounding plaster and the metal frame members is unsightly and detracts from the appearance of the room.

The principal object of the invention is to provide an inside storm window for metal casement windows and it is proposed to form the storm window frame of material having high insulating characteristics. The storm window frame is mounted on the metal frame members of the easement window so as to effectively seal off these members from the inside of the room and thereby eliminate the inherent disadvantages of metal casement windows.

As a further object it is proposed to pro-vide a storm window frame that offers a convenient mount for drapery hardware and the like and to position the frame adjacent the plaster on the inside surface of the house wall to provide sufficient clearance space for the operating hardware of the metal casement windows.

Still further objects are to provide an attractive storm window frame that is readily adaptable for harmony or contrast of trim in order to fit in with the decor of the room; that has the feature of self storing storm window panes; that controls air blasts and drafts by creating a circuitous route therefor; and that allows ready removal andreplacement of the storm window panes without the necessity of disassembling the storm frame.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent during the course of the following description.

In the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, and in which like numerals are employed to designate like parts throughout the same:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view, as viewed from the inside of a house, of a metal casement window'having a novel atent I ice storm window installation in accordance with the inventlon;

Figs. 2 and 3 are sectional views taken in the vertical planes of the lines 2-2 and 3-3, respectively, of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken in the horizontal plane of line 44 of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 5 is a rear view of a corner assembly of the storm window frame.

Generally the storm window consists of an insulating frame that snugly receives a pair of glass window panes for relative sliding movement. The frame is adapted to be mounted on metal frame members that surround the casement window and the arrangement is such that the storm window creates an effective atmospheric and thermal seal between the easement windows and the interior of the building.

The advent of metal casement windows created a continuing insulation problem due to the high thermal conductivity of the metal members but prior to the present invention no practical solution for properly insulating these metal casement windows has presented itself. In addition to overcoming this problem, the novel storm window disclosed herein offers many important additional features and these will become more clear as the description proceeds.

The storm window unit is shown in connection with metal casement windows that open outwardly and while this is the most advantageous application the invention is not necessarily limited thereto.

Referring now to the drawings and particularly'to Fig. 1; this perspective view of the completed installation of an inside storm window, is believed to point up many of the outstanding features of the device.

Wood has proven adequate as the framing material and in addition to its fine insulating properties it has the advantage of offering a great variety of styles and shades. Wood is readily adaptable for harmony or contrast of trim and may be selected according to the desires of the house owner so as to complement the interior decorating scheme.

It will also be noted in Fig. 1' that the storm frame, indicated generally at 10, is mounted adjacent the inside surface of the plaster 11 that surrounds the metal case ment windows. This arrangement spaces the storm frame from the metal casement window sufficiently to provide adequate clearance for the operating hardware of the metal casement windows.

Another feature resides in the fact that the frame is adapted for sliding inner and outer storm panes, designated 13 and 14 respectively. Air blasts and drafts may easily be controlled by opening a casement window at one end and a storm pane at the opposite end to provide a circuitous path for the circulating air. In addition frosted glass panels may be used to maintain privacy, if desired, while still permitting air circulation.

It will also be appreciated that the wooden frame members of the storm unit offer a convenient mounting location for drapery hardware. It is not convenient to mount such hardware on the metal frame members of the easement window and plaster, as is well known, is not always capable of supporting drapes.

The frame of the storm unit is constructed in sections and comprises a top piece 16, a bottom piece 17, and sidepieces 18. Each section of the frame is of unitary construction being milled internally and externally in a single operation. After the pieces of the frame have been milled, they are routed out at each end to receive a linking member and effect a splined joint. Fig; 5 is a rear view as taken at one of the corner joints of the frame assembly and illustrates this construction. The meeting ends of the side piece 18and the bottom piece 'channels for the storm window panels. storm window frame members is formed with a trapezoi- 17 are out along a diagonal line to form a miter joint and the abutting surfaces of each piece are routed out to accommodate a tongue or spline 20. After the spline Z is. inserted, an L-shaped corner bracket 21 is secured to the frame pieces by means of a plurality of wood screws 22 to complete the corner assembly.

The metal base frame for the casement windows consists of a lower sill 24 (see Fig. 2), an upper plate 25 (see Fig. 3), and side plates 26 (see Fig. 4) which are secured to the surrounding house wall in the usual manner. As is customary. the lower sill member 24 is of considerably greater thickness than are the top and side members 25 and 26, respectively.

The storm window frame members are generally triangular in cross-sectional configuration, as may be seen by comparing Figs. 2, 3, and 4, and they differ from one another only in the construction of the guiding Each of the dal recess 28 in one of the faces and, as shown in Figs. 2, 3, and 4, each of these recesses is adapted to accommodate one leg 29 of a right angle mounting bracket. The leg 29 is secured to its associated storm frame member by means of a wood screw 30 which is preferably countersunk, as shown, and the leg 29 is slotted as indicated at 31 to facilitate any necessary mounting adjustments. The other leg 32 of each of the brackets is adapted to be secured to its associated metal frame member as by a metal screw 33 and the leg 32 is also similarly slotted, as shown at 34, to facilitate any necessary mounting adjustments.

The bottom storm window frame piece 17 is the major load bearing section of the storm frame and, accordingly, it is provided with a reinforcing right angle mounting member, as shown in Fig. 2. One leg 36 of this member rests upon and is secured to the leg 32 by the screw 33. The leg 36 is also provided with a mounting slot 37. The other leg 38 is adapted to abut against a surface portion of the storm frame piece 17. The leg 38 is slotted as at 39 and is adapted to be secured to the bottom frame piece 17 by a conventional wood screw 40. In order to firmly secure the storm frame pieces to the metal frame members of the casement windows, it is desirable to employ a plurality of bracket members, as is apparent to those skilled in the art.

When the lower metal sill 24 is placed in position across the bottom of a window opening, there are generally many openings that permit air to escape into a room. In the present invention it will be noted that the trapezoidal recesses 28 in each of the storm frame pieces 16, 17, and 18 extend beyond the joint 42 between the metal casement window frame and the surrounding plaster. Each of the storm frame pieces is formed with a fiat bearing surface 43 at its outer extremity that is adapted to bear against the adjacent plaster. The recesses 28 are filled with felt or a suitable caulking compound to provide an effective seal between the storm frame members and the surrounding wall plaster. As will be explained hereinafter, the glass panels 13 and 14 are adapted to be mounted in the storm frame in substantially air-tight relationship therewith and thus the storm unit completely blocks out outside air that may seep through portions of the casement windows metal frame.

The top and bottom pieces of the storm frame are each provided with a pair of lengthwise extending grooves that cooperate to provide a pair of lengthwise extending guideways for the storm panels 13 and 14. The inner and outer grooves in the bottom frame member are designated 46 and 47, respectively, and they are separated by an integral projecting portion 48. A pair of recesses 49 flank the grooves 46 and 47 and are adapted to receive felt sealing strips 50.

The inner and outer grooves in the top member are designated 52 and 53, respectively, and they are separated by an integral projection 54. A pair of recesses glass panels in these channels.

55 flank the grooves 52 and 53 and are adapted to receive felt sealing strips 56. The inner storm pane 13 rides in the guideway defined by grooves 46 and 52 and the outer storm pane 14 rides in the guideway defined by grooves 47 and 53. In addition, the pane 13 is provided adjacent the vertical edge of its overlapping end with a projecting felt strip 58 (see Fig. 2) that forms a sealing contact with the adjacent surface portion of storm pane 14.

The side pieces of the storm frame are each provided with a pair of grooves 60 and 61 that accommodate the storm panels. These grooves are shaped identically with the grooves 51 and 53 of the top pieces of the storm frame and, as shown, taper inwardly at their innermost end. The glass panels are similarly tapered and are adapted to cooperate with the tapered grooves of the side pieces to create an airtight seal.

The channels 46 and 47 of the bottom piece 17 are each provided with convex ridge portions 62 that are preferably hardened to provide ready slidability of the It is contemplated that the disclosed structure may be modified by removing the felt strips 49 and 56 that are located adjacent the channels in which the glass storm panels slide, and their absence may be compensated for by flattening the abutting surfaces of the glass panels and convex projections 62. The flattening of these surfaces improves their sealing action and reduces the need for an auxiliary sealing means such as the felt strips.

As mentioned previously, the present storm unit is provided with removable glass panels to facilitate their cleaning. It is not necessary to disassemble the frame in order to remove the panels, a very desirable feature in that it considerably simplifies the installation of the storm unit. The removability feature is incorporated by forming the grooves 52 and 53 of the top frame piece 16 of considerable depth to thereby permit the panels to be inserted upwardly into the grooves 52 and 53 a distance sutficient to allow their lower edges to clear the uppermost portions of the bottom piece 17. The bottom edge of the panel is then appropriately located over its guideway and dropped into place.

The number of panes to be used in a particular storm window depends upon the width of the area to be covered. In addition, the width of the panels becomes less as the height increases. The size and arrangement of the panel members is purely a matter of design and may be varied to suit the needs of the particular application.

Thus it will be seen that the objects of the present invention have been accomplished in that the novel storm unit completely seals off the interior of the room from the highly conductive frame members of the metal casement window and also from any outside air that may seep through openings in these frame members. According to the invention, only the (most effective) insulating materials such as wood, felt, and glass are employed in this novel storm unit and this fact is best appreciated by referring to the chart below in which the relative thermal conductivities of various materials are listed. In the chart the thermal conductivity of air is chosen as the basic unit of reference and the other conductivities are expressed as multiples of the standard.

Thermal conductivity Aluminum 9,000 X Steel 2,053 X Zinc 4,732 X Glass 35 X Wood 5 X Felt 1 X Air (standard)=X Brick 20 X It will be seen that the objects are attained in their fullest measure in the application of the storm unit to the casement windows of factory ofiices. Factory buildings due to their locations in industrial districts are usually subjected to abnormally contaminated air that enters through the easement Windows and deposits dirt in the interior of the building. While the industrial districts are no colder than residential districts, the heating plants of factory buildings are not as effective as home heating plants. Thus the problems created by the dirt and the cold are particularly acute in factory ofiices having casement windows.

Factory oflices are made more habitable by the present storm unit since it effectively seals out the dirt and the cold. The advantages of the storm unit are cumulative in that it not only protects the oflice and its furnishings from the contaminated air, but it also affords a convenient mounting location for important oflice appointments such as drapes. In addition, a wide selection of frame styles and shades are available so that the frame material may be selected to complement the decor of the office. For this reason it is not only easier to properly furnish and decorate an office but the furnishings are adequately protected so as to justify the expenditure.

It should be appreciated that frosted glass panels may be used in the storm unit to serve as an adequate alternative to venetian blinds which are so difficult to clean. The frosted glass diffuses the entering light rays and creates a pleasing glow in the room.

I claim:

1. In an insulated, enclosed structure having a wall formed with a window opening, the combination with a window frame of metal mounted to said wall to frame said opening and from a sealing joint with portions of said wall adjacent to and surrounding said opening, and a window mounted in said frame and closing said opening; of a storm window comprising glazed window frame means of wood forming a substantially air-tight partition and carried by said structure inwardly of said first-mentioned window, said frame means having a continuous marginal portion overlying and sealing the entire joint between said metal window frame and said wall.

2. In an insulated, enclosed structure having a wall formed with a window opening, the combination with a window frame of metal mounted to said wall to frame said opening and form a sealing joint with portions of said wall adjacent to and surrounding said opening, and a window mounted in said frame and closing said opening; of a storm window comprising glazed window frame means of wood forming a substantially air-tight partition, said frame means including attaching means engaging said window frame to support said frame means inwardly of said first-mentioned window, and said frame means having a continuous marginal portion overlying and sealing the entire joint between said window frame and said wall.

3. In an insulated, enclosed structure having a wall formed with a window opening, said wall including thermal insulating material, the combination with a window frame of thermally conducting material mounted to said wall to frame said opening and form a sealing joint with the portions of said wall adjacent to and surrounding said opening, and a window mounted in said frame; of a storm window comprising frame means carried by said structure inwardly of said window and having a continuous marginal portion in overlying sealing engagement with portions of said wall adjacent to and surrounding said opening, and window pane means mounted in said frame means in substantially air-tight relationship to completely seal off said opening from the interior of the structure, said frame means and said window pane means being of material having thermal-insulating characteristics comparable to the characteristics of the insulating material of said wall.

4. In an insulated, enclosed structure having a wall formed with a window opening, said wall including thermal insulating material, the combination with a window frame of thermally conducting material mounted to said wall to frame said opening and form a sealing joint with the portions of said wall adjacent to and surrounding said opening, and a window mounted in said frame; of a storm window comprising frame means and window pane means mounted in said frame means and forming therewith a substantially air-tight partition, said frame means including attaching means engaging said window frame to support said frame means inwardly of said window, said frame means having a continuous marginal portion overlying and sealing the entire joint between said window frame and said wall, and said frame means and said window pane means being of material having thermal insulating characteristics comparable to the characteristics of the insulating material of said wall.

5. In an insulated, enclosed structure having a wall formed with a window opening, the combination with a casement window frame mounted to said wall to frame said opening and form a joint with portions of said wall adjacent to and surrounding said opening, and a casement window mounted in said casement frame and closing said opening; of a storm window comprising frame means carried by said structure inwardly of said casement window, said frame means having top and bottom horizontally extending portions each formed with horizontally extending parallel grooves, with corresponding grooves in the top portion aligned with corresponding grooves in the bottom portion to form two separate sets of vertically aligned grooves, a separate window pane for each set of grooves, said window panes being mounted in said grooves in substantially air-tight relationship with said frame means, with said panes overlapping partially in the horizontal direction, and vertically extending sealing strip means carried by one of said panes adjacent the vertical edge thereof that overlaps the other pane, said sealing strip contacting said other pane to provide an air-tight seal between the overlapping portions of said window panes, such that said storm window constitutes an air-tight partition, said frame means having a con tinuous marginal portion overlying and sealing the entire joint between said casement window frame and said wall.

6. In an insulated, enclosed structure, the combination with a window frame of metal mounted to said wall and forming a closed loop that frames said opening and establishes a sealing joint with the portions of said wall adjacent to and surrounding said opening, and a window mounted in said frame and closing said opening; of a storm window comprising glazed window frame means forming a substantially air-tight partition, said frame means including a plurality of wood framing members in the form of a closed loop, said loop having a continuous recess bounded about its outer periphery by a continuous marginal shoulder that is adapted to face and abut said wall portions, said recess being adapted to face and overlie the entire joint between said metal window frame and said wall, angle brackets spaced at intervals about said opening to anchor said glazed window frame means to said metal window frame with said recess facing and overlying said joint and with said shoulder facing and abutting said wall portions, and sealing material in said recess to overlie and directly contact said joint.

7. The arrangement of claim 6 wherein each angle bracket has a first leg in said recess anchored to said glazed window frame means and a second leg anchored to said metal window frame.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,743,454 Howenstein Jan. 14, 1930 2,381,129 Lind Aug. 7, 1945 2,495,877 Theilman Ian. 31, 1950 2,508,781 Bailey et al May 23, 1950 2,578,470 Gorell et al. Dec. 11, 1951 2,632,928 Kaufman Mar. 31, 1953 2,640,232 Price June 2, 1953 2,667,245 'Shink Jan. 26, 1954 

